The Blues - Reflection on the 6th week of 52

Here is the description for The Blues theme:

It is amazing what you can learn from Wikipedia. Blue, apparently, is evoked by light with a predominant wavelength of approximately 440 to 490 nanometres. If any of you know what that means, all the power to you. However, for those of you who are not nanometer aficionados please just find something fetchingly blue and take a picture of it. I’m sure you won’t be at a loss of finding blue things in Windsor – Essex. However, if you choose to take a different direction, can you somehow capture The Blues in Windsor – Essex. This perhaps may have been easier during Bluesfest, but chances are something is happening here this week.

Okay,  it may not be Bluesfest, but the challengers for the #52weeksofWE photography challenge had their own little blues fest through the lenses of their cameras this week. What were those things in Windsor - Essex that were evoked by light with a predominant wavelength of approximately 440 to 490 nanometres, or those things that experienced that wavelength in the digital darkroom?

I was happy to see that The Blues, in the more musical sense of the word, appeared in Tim Fenn’s photo of guitars, amp, and Union Jack, all presented with a fetching blue. I am glad there was at least one fan amongst the challengers.

 The Blues by Timm Fenn (The blues, especially the British based variety were always a favorite of mine. With a generous influence from Robert Johnson, B.B. King and Muddy Waters, bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones breathed new life into the genre and re-introduced the blues to North American audiences during the 60's and 70's.)

One large blue thing that dominates the Windsor skyline was usurped by another, at least partially blue thing, which also dominates the Windsor skyline. This week Caesars Windsor played a much bigger role than the Ambassador Bridge. Special mention goes to Caesars Windsor – The Blues by Christian, mostly because of the angle with which he captured it. For such a large building complex it was a great, comprehensive capture.

 Augustus Tower by Zee 1977

Caesars Windsor - The Blues by Christian Khuong

Though I tend to prefer shots that were taken during the week of the theme – hence the “challenge” – the capture of the 2014 Detroit / Windsor fireworks by sjc3414 was a truly majestic display of blue, and is most welcome in this post. 

 2014 Windsor / Detroit Fireworks by sjc3414

Also, we were treated to our first panoramic of the south border of our lovely County. This is an incredible shot and I am quite excited to share it. Click on the image to see it in its full glory.

 Lake Erie by Keith Hawkins (this is a 180 deg Panoramic shot. The Break Wall on both sides are one and the same!)

 The Wee House of Blues by Paul Thibodeau

Just like week 4, Black and White, The Blues was a great theme where I had no idea what would come in: signs, books, trees, birds, houses, and hearts all made their way into the Flickr group photostream. Again, it was a great week with lots of submissions.

 Feeling Blue by Frank J. Shepley

Blue Heart by Lupita Amaya G.

My shot was a bit accidental. Though the skate park in Amherstburg caught my eye – due to its ‘blueness’ – the shot I ended up selecting to put on the group page was not intended. My original intention was to capture the structures in their snowy nest, applying my newfound knowledge of isolating colours on my Canon SX30 IS. I selected the blue of the ramps and pipes, faced the setting sun, and snapped away. The sky effect – the grey of the cloudy haze around the sun, and the clear of the rest of the sky – turned the composition into one part black and white, one part vibrant blue; it was a serendipitous composition that I was ultimately happy with.

Winter Skate Park - Isolated Blue by Patrick Firth

I look forward to the submissions for week 7, Reflection, where challengers will capture Windsor – Essex through a different, somewhat distorted, perspective.

Feel free to send me your stories, keep an eye on the Facebook updates, and sign on to Flickr (if you haven’t done so already). Also, if you know any other people who may be interested in joining, please pass the challenge along. It’s never too late, and the more the merrier.